Photographs by Evan Tchelepi
The Apple Store at 23 N. Santa Cruz Ave. opened for business Thursday night at 6 p.m. with hundreds of customers in a line that stretched around the corner onto Main St. Mayor Joe Pirzynski and Councilmember Mike Wasserman helped cut a ceremonial ribbon before the eager crowds were allowed to enter. The first 1,000 visitors were given black t-shirts with the Apple logo and the words "Los Gatos" in white. The store will be open 10-9 Mon.-Sat., 10-7 on Sunday.
New products and pricing announced the day before were on display at the Los Gatos store before most other Apple stores. Los Gatos was the only place to buy the new iPod or the new colors of iPod Shuffles, for example.
"It's not just another generic store," said Clyde Nagakura, a Los Gatan who staked out first place in line nearly 7 hours before the doors opened. "People from Santa Cruz will stop here instead of going on to Valley Fair."
"It's an extraordinary addition to the downtown," said Mayor Joe Pirzynski. "It's got a great energy and vitality, and it gives our citizens the opportunity to obtain some services they can't get right now."
"I recognize Los Gatan after Los Gatan coming through the door," said Councilmember Mike Wasserman, smiling. "It looks to me like the community's happy [with the Apple Store]."
"I'm so excited," said Planning Commission Chair Joanne Talesfore. "We have a very historic downtown, but this is keeping us current. The only thing I'm worried about now is the enhanced traffic problem." Talesfore pointed out the wide age group waiting in line. She spoke with someone from Hollister who came to Los Gatos to buy an iPhone.
"I always thought that a well-designed contemporary store would work downtown," said former Planning Commissioner Len Pacheco, looking around approvingly. "But it has to be well-designed." Pacheco seemed impressed by the attention to detail in the store's architecture.
Los Gatan Amy Goldsmith and her two teenagers stood in line patiently. Goldsmith moved to the area to work for Apple and wore her 1986 employee badge for the store opening. "I've wanted a Los Gatos Apple Store forever," she says.
The businesses next door are delighted to have Apple as a neighbor.
"It's good for business," said Andale Manager Jaime Jimenez.
"It's revitalizing the downtown," said Patrick Chapman, the manager at Great Bear Coffee. "Maybe it will bring people back--bring back some old friends."
As the ribbon was cut and the crowd surged into the store, passing motorists asked what celebrity was in town. None, unless you count Apple Computer itself.
"All this for a lousy t-shirt?" Town Treasurer Linda Lubeck Speicher said, jokingly, as she surveyed the long line.
"It's great news for Los Gatos," said Susan and Andy Katz. "We're excited about the store."
Store Manager Julie Reisinger offered a dizzying tour of the store. The main point is that every product is available to be seen, handled, and played with, and it all works--you can check your e-mail, make a phone call, read the Los Gatos Observer. There is no time limit on these activities.
"We're thrilled to be here in Los Gatos," says Reisinger, who lived in Los Gatos for 9 years and has worked at the Apple Store in Valley Fair. She points out the iPod Classic ("now bigger, faster, with more capacity") iPod Nanos, iPhones, of course, iLife '08 (a suite of software applications for managing photos, videos and other essentials), MacBooks, and other computers. Apple TV streams from any PC or Mac wirelessly, and there's a new flat wireless keyboard. The technical details...did we mention the staff of Mac Specialists who can answer any questions?
It's not just the hardware and software--and the store sells a wide variety of non-Apple software and accessories--it's about service. The Genius Bar offers face-to-face consultation on any technical problem, and the Studio Bar is where you can get one-on-one training on a variety of topics. You can make appointments online for the Genius Bar or the Personal Shopper service. $99 a year pays for up to an hour a week of training. Another $99 gives you "pro-care" escalated repairs at the Genius Bar.
The store will offer free youth workshops for ages 6 to 13. A "school nights" program will run from Oct. 2 through Nov. 20, in which children produce projects and then share them on store computers. And, next year, there will be Apple Camp.
"It's inspiring to see the training progress," Reisinger says. "I've seen examples where one of our older customers--he'd never touched a computer--begins to feel comfortable with it. It's an emotional experience. Next thing, he's making a movie and sharing it with his family."
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